Last.



No. 817,966. EATENTBD APR. i?. woei. A. G. PITZ.

LAST.

APPLICATION YlLED JUNE 25,1904.

IOA

PATENT OFFICE.-

AMDS G. FlTZ, OF AUBURN, MAlNE.

LAST.1

Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented April i?, 1906.

Application led J une 25, 1904. Serial No 214,085.

Tomi/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, AMos G. Frrz, a citizen,

of the United States, residing at Auburn, in the county of Androscogginl and State of Maine, have invented new and useful lmrovements in Lasts, of which the following 1s a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in lasts which are divided transversely into a toe-section and a heel-section, which sections are linked or hinged together, and thereby caable of movement one relative to the other for shortening the last to enable it to be more readily inserted in and withdrawn from a shoe.

Some forms of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figures 1, 2, 3, and 7 are elevations, partly in section, showing different embodiments of my invention. Fig. 4 is an elevation showing a method of holding the last in broken osition independent of the means for holdmg it in normal position. Fig. 5 isa horizontal sectional view of Fig. 4 taken on line X X; and Fig. 6 is a detail view in elevation of the link and contact shown in Fi 1.

Same letters of reference refer to ike parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to provide a last with means for maintaining the parts strongly but yieldingly-in normal position, the construction of the parts andameans lfor retaining them beingsuch that When the parts are moved from normal to broken position the force tending to return and maintain` the parts in normal position decreases gradually until the full broken osition is reached, at which time such forceecomes a practically negligible quantity, it being barely sufficient to start the parts on the return 'to the normal position, gradually increasing until the latter osition is reached.

It has the ther object to rovide an independent means for holding a ast in broken position.

l am aware that it is not new, broadly, to provide means for yieldingly locking the arts of a last in normal position; but so far as am aware in all cases where this hasv been done the force impelling the parts to return to the normal position increases as the parts move from normal position, which is very objectionable, making it very difficult to place the shoe upon the last or remove it therefrom.

To carry out my invention, l provide the parts A and of the last with suitable conand the other end in the fore part.

nectirnT means-.for example, links C and D, pivota ly connected one end in the heel part l then. in one part, as the fore part, make a recess, in which the end of the link rests and in which is a socket E for the reception of the end of a coil-spring The outer end of the s ring is adapted to engage the end oi one of t e links to some distance outside the pivotpoint either directly or with a contact G, interposed between the spring and. the end of the link. The outer end of the s ring or the contact is free to bend downwar ly and upwardly in its socket, the socket being large enough to ermit such movement, so that when the link is turned on its pivot-upwardly, for example, as seen in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 7-the direc tion of the pressure of the spring is brought nearer into line with the pivot upon which the link turns, thereby in proportion as it a proaches said pivot lessening the force of t e spring, tending to restore the parts to normal position. The relation of these parts should be such that when in position shown in dotted lines in said Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 7 the tension of the spring tending to return the last parts to'normal position is very slight,

- being just sufficient to start them in that direction, but gradually increasing as the parts return tonormal position, in which position they are strongly held; In Fig. 1 the intermediate contact has a round end H, adapted to rest in a round depression I in the end of the link. For convenience the link, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6,- is provided with two plates or keepers J', one at either side, extending over said depression, thereby holding the.

contact from lateral movement relative to the link, the end of the contact having only a sliding movement in said depression. Fig. 2 differs from Fig. 1 only in the form of the contact, which here is pointed, the pivot-point changing from the upper to the lower slde of the depression as the parts move from normal to broken position. 'In Figs. 3 and 7 there is no intermediate contact, the spring' bearing directly against the link in Fig. 3, the end resting in a depression and in Fig. 7 the end receiving a projection on the link, in all cases the outer end of the spring being free to bend as the arts `move from normal to broken position. n constructing the last the socket in which the springs rest may be of the same Width as the kerf K, which receives the end of the connecting-link- In Fig. 7 l have IOO IIC

illustrated a preferred means for preparing y force tending to return is slight, and the shoe the last for 'the reception of my invention.

The kerfI is made with any convenient toolas, for instance, a saw.l The socket E, of

eater 'diameter than the width-of the kerf, 1s bored in a longitudinal direction for .the re ception of the spring. A transverse hole M is then bored, intersecting the socket E be yond the bottom thereof, which permits the Qthe pro'ection I place a disk spring N, which when t e parts are moved from normal to broken position frictionally engages the inner wall of the opposite part, the friction being suflicient to barely retain the'parts in broken position.

In operation the last is placed upon` the spindle, the shoe partly drawn thereonrwhile e last is in normal position. Pressure is then appliedl to the toe to move the toe part into broken relation, ,in which position the can be readily drawn thereon. The spring when the pressure is removed from the toev returns the parts to normal position and holds them strongly during the processing of I nal position. 2. Alast necting the parts, whereby one part may v have movement relative to the other, means interposed between the parts for yieldingly opposing movement of the parts, a portion of said opposing means being free to move vertically, theunion and o osing means being constructed to offer yie ding and decreasing resistance as the parts move away from nornecting the parts whereby one pa'rt is free to move relative to the other, one part bein provided with.a spring-receiving socket, an a spring mounted 1n said socket and engaging said union, the size of the outer end of the socket being greater than the size 'of the spring, and the outer end of the sprin being free to move vertically, the spring an union being constructed and positioned to offer yielding and decreasing resistance as the parts move away from normal position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 2d dayof June, 1904.

AMOS G. FITZ.

In presencel of- JOHN A. MORRILL, 'DA-lsv E. YOUNG.

divided transversely, a union con. 

